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Mayor: Fears Of Fatality Unfounded In Furious Fire That Destroyed Fort Lee Apartment Building Mayor: Fears Of Fatality Unfounded In Furious Fire That Destroyed Fort Lee Apartment Building
Mayor: Fears Of Fatality Unfounded In Furious Fire That Destroyed Fort Lee Apartment Building UPDATE: No serious injuries were reported in a raging fire that destroyed an apartment building near the George Washington Bridge. Two volunteer firefighters were hospitalized with relatively minor injuries from the six-alarm fire on Hudson Terrace in Fort Lee, which ignited Saturday afternoon, continued through the night and collapsed portions of the five-story brick building. Authorities initially feared the worst when a resident was unaccounted for, Mayor Mark Sokolich said, but that tenant apparently is out of the country. The Red Cross had put up about a dozen families at local hote…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Fire Rages At Fort Lee Apartment Building Fire Rages At Fort Lee Apartment Building
Fire Rages At Fort Lee Apartment Building UPDATE: No serious injuries were reported in a raging fire that destroyed an apartment building near the George Washington Bridge. Two volunteer firefighters were hospitalized with relatively minor injuries from the six-alarm fire on Hudson Terrace in Fort Lee, which ignited Saturday afternoon, continued through the night and collapsed portions of the five-story brick building. Authorities initially feared the worst when a resident was unaccounted for, Mayor Mark Sokolich said, but that tenant apparently is out of the country. The Red Cross had put up about a dozen families at local hotel…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Mailman Admits Stealing, Cashing Checks From Hackensack, Maywood, Leonia Residents Mailman Admits Stealing, Cashing Checks From Hackensack, Maywood, Leonia Residents
Mailman Admits Stealing, Cashing Checks From Hackensack, Maywood, Leonia Residents A postal carrier admitted Thursday that he stole and cashed checks sent to customers on his routes in Hackensack, Maywood and Leonia. Juan Torres, 28, of Hackensack told a federal judge in Newark via teleconference that he deposited more than $27,000 in stolen checks – including one for $1,505 -- into a bank account that he controlled, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. U.S. Postal Inspection Service agents and investigators got wise to him, however, she said. Rather than face a trial, Torres took a deal from the government, pleading guilty to bank theft in exchange for leniency. …

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by Jerry DeMarco
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WINNER: Powerball Ticket Good For $50K Sold In Bergen County WINNER: Powerball Ticket Good For $50K Sold In Bergen County
Winner: Powerball Ticket Good For $50K Sold In Bergen County A lucky Powerball ticket was sold in Bergen County. The New Jersey Lottery ticket from Wednesday's drawing wins the third-tier prize of $50,000. The winning numbers were 16, 23, 28, 40, and 63. The Red Power Ball number was 01. The Multiplier number was 02. The ticket was sold at Leonia News & Stationery, 338 Broad Ave., in Leonia. The Powerball jackpot rolls to $157 million for the next drawing to be held Saturday, May 8, at 10:59 p.m.

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by Cecilia Levine
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PHOTOS: Firefighters Douse Fairview Commercial Blaze PHOTOS: Firefighters Douse Fairview Commercial Blaze
Photos: Firefighters Douse Fairview Commercial Blaze Firefighters doused a Wednesday night blaze in a Fairview commercial printing building. The two-alarm fire broke out on Broad Avenue across from Sedore Avenue around 7 p.m. Borough firefighters were met with heavy smoke and flames. Providing mutual aid were their colleagues from Cliffside Park, Edgewater, Fort Lee, Leonia and Palisades Park and Ridgefield. Borough firefighters were met with heavy smoke and flames.Damien Danis for DAILY VOICE No injuries were reported.Werner Ennesser for DAILY VOICE No injuries were reported. PHOTOS by Werner R. Ennesser AND Damien Danis. At th…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Bergen Girl, 7, Accidentally Run Over By Family Member's SUV Bergen Girl, 7, Accidentally Run Over By Family Member's SUV
Bergen Girl, 7, Accidentally Run Over By Family Member's SUV A 7-year-old Leonia girl was hospitalized with serious injuries after she was run over by an SUV driven by a relative in what authorities said was a tragic accident. It was dark and raining steadily when the driver dropped off four passengers in a parking lot near the corner of Grand Avenue and Fort Lee Road shortly before 8:30 p.m. Monday, according to a borough police report. The girl inadvertently moved into the path of the Ford Explorer as it exited the lot and was run over by a front tire, it says. She was rushed to Hackensack University Medical Center with chest injuries that weren’t…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Units Damaged In Fort Lee Condo Fire Units Damaged In Fort Lee Condo Fire
Units Damaged In Fort Lee Condo Fire Firefighters doused a Thursday afternoon blaze that damaged units on two floors of a Fort Lee condominium. Flames blew through two first-floor windows after breaking out in a crawlspace in the five-story brick Central Court Condominiums on Central Road shortly before 2 p.m. Firefighters had the two-alarm blaze knocked down in about an hour and under control before 3:30 p.m. It was later ruled accidental. No injuries were reported. Firefighters from Edgewater, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Fairview, Leonia, Palisades Park and Ridgefield were among the mutual aid responders. Tony Greco took…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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'I Just Shot My Father': Bogus Swatting Call Draws Mass Response To Palisades Park Apartment 'I Just Shot My Father': Bogus Swatting Call Draws Mass Response To Palisades Park Apartment
'I Just Shot My Father': Bogus Swatting Call Draws Mass Response To Palisades Park Apartment A throng of police and tactical units descended on a Palisades Park garden apartment complex Friday night in response to what turned out to be a bogus 911 call of a man with a bomb strapped to his chest. The swatting incident forced the evacuation of the West Central Boulevard complex off Grand Avenue after a 911 caller told a dispatcher around 9 p.m. that "I just shot my father," Detective Alex Monteleone said. Units were rushing to the site when the swatter called again, saying he'd shot his dad a second time, he said. The third time, he said he had a pipe bomb strapped to his chest that…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Prosecutor: Hudson Ex-Con Tries To Sexually Assault Woman On Fort Lee Street Prosecutor: Hudson Ex-Con Tries To Sexually Assault Woman On Fort Lee Street
Prosecutor: Hudson Ex-Con Tries To Sexually Assault Woman On Fort Lee Street A floral deliveryman with a criminal history grabbed a woman on a Fort Lee Street and tried to drag her into an alley while fondling her, authorities said. The victim told police that a man later identified as ex-con Randy Gallman, 36, of Jersey City grabbed her as she walked and “touched on her intimate parts,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. She screamed and Gallman ran, she said. The woman told police she resumed walking toward Leonia when Gallman returned, grabbed her again and started dragging her toward an alley. She screamed once more, he ran off again and she dial…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Feds Praise Leonia PD After Ringleader Of International Call-Center Phone Scam Gets 20 Years Feds Praise Leonia PD After Ringleader Of International Call-Center Phone Scam Gets 20 Years
Feds Praise Leonia PD After Ringleader Of International Call-Center Phone Scam Gets 20 Years A worldwide investigation that produced a 20-year federal prison sentence for an Indian national who ran call centers that defrauded Americans across the U.S. out of millions of dollars got a huge boost from police in Leonia. Leonia Detective Michael Jennings, in particular, did legwork that helped federal authorities eventually identify Hitesh Madhubhai Patel, 44, as the ringleader of the transnational scheme. For that reason, police in the Bergen County borough near the George Washington Bridge got a shout-out from the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday. It began in 2015 when Jennings …

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by Jerry DeMarco
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PHOTOS: Fire Destroys Ridgefield Multi-Family Home PHOTOS: Fire Destroys Ridgefield Multi-Family Home
Photos: Fire Destroys Ridgefield Multi-Family Home Flames blew through the roof of a two-family Ridgefield home on Monday. All residents got out safely and no one was injured in the two-alarm noontime blaze, Fire Chief David Brierty said. Firefighters found the second floor and basement of the Walnut Street house fully involved, Brierty said. Part of the roof collapsed soon after. Brierty declared the blaze under control shortly before 2 p.m., the chief said. Firefighters continued to hit hot spots after that. The cause appeared accidental, Brierty said. An investigation was continuing. Mutual aid responders included firefighters from…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Leonia Police Capture Trio In Separate Overnight Car Break-Ins Leonia Police Capture Trio In Separate Overnight Car Break-Ins
Leonia Police Capture Trio In Separate Overnight Car Break-Ins Leonia police responding to separate overnight car burglaries captured a trio of suspects. Responding to a call on Summit Avenue around 12:40 a.m., Sgt. Robert Kennedy and Officer Nolan Stendor nabbed Michael A. Cokley, 30, of Ridgefield, Acting Police Chief Scott Tamagny said. A judge ordered Cokley released shortly after police sent him to the Bergen County Jail on attempted burglary and possession of drugs and paraphernalia charges. Officer Sihoon Chung nabbed a pair of suspects after a similar call came in from Longview Avenue around 6:10 a.m. Manny L. Pinagarcia, 18, of Manhattan w…

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by Jerry DeMarco